Men's basketball travels to D.C. to take on Terrapins

Maryland.

The team is currently ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN and should move up a spot in the ranking after a 13-point victory over No. 2 Illinois.

Princeton.

Not exactly ranked in the top 25 yet, but should come a little closer after Wednesday night's 12-point victory over Rider.

Those two statements pretty much say it all. Maryland is one of the best teams in the country and Princeton still has a long way to go.

But when Princeton enthusiasts saw Sunday's Princeton vs. Maryland game at the MCI center in Washington D.C. on the schedule, they were not expecting an even match - just hoping to give Maryland a run for its money.

From what has been exhibited thus far in the season, though, Princeton might have difficulty even doing that. Unless the Tigers pick it up a notch, this game will be over at tip-off.

So far, Princeton is 1-3. Two of the losses - California and St. Joe's - can be forgiven. The Tigers probably wanted to make more out of their game against Sunbelt challenger Florida International.

Princeton finally put together a solid performance against Rider, but even then, the Tigers committed 11 turnovers and allowed the Broncs to mount a strong comeback and come within seven points after being down by 21.

Maryland, on the other hand is 4-1. It has drilled through an entire three weeks-worth of opponents and outplayed Illinois in its last outing.

The Terp arsenal is led by guards Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, forwards Chris Wilcox, Lonny Baxter, and swingman Byron Mouton, who can play both forward or guard. Of those five, all but Mouton are top All-America candidates. Mouton had an off season last year - his sophomore campaign - but if he has another year like his freshman season in which he scored 440 points, he too could be a power player in the ACC.

To play with the Terrapins - last year's NCAA West Regional Champion - Princeton will need to be playing to the top of its potential and the Terps far from theirs.

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For instance, Princeton's passing is going to have to be near perfect to get men open past the arc. Maryland has one of the top backcourts in the country with Dixon and Blake, who, although not prominent in size, are extremely quick and skilled players.

Princeton likes to build the rest of its game around the three-pointer, but Dixon and Blake will probably make it a bit difficult.

As might be expected, it won't be any easier inside. The other three starters, as one would expect from a top five team, are ballers.

Playing either forward or guard, depending on the look Maryland wants, will be Mouton. He's smaller than average for a forward - standing just six-feet, six-inches tall - but is a very physical player who possesses an ability to take it inside and hit the outside shot as well.

The player that will be hardest for Princeton to control will be Baxter who, at 6-8, 260 pounds, has the physical attributes to dominate the interior by sheer size. Baxter's only weakness is his tendency to foul. The Tigers will need for the dominant inside presence to be in foul trouble early to have a chance.

The fifth Maryland starter will probably be Chris Wilcox. He was not one of the Terrapins' top players his freshman year, but scored 19 points and pulled down six rebounds in the win over the Illini.

If Princeton attacks somebody down low, it will probably be Wilcox. He is the least physical of the big men and the 210 pounds on his 6-10 frame worry the Maryland coaches. He might be the weakest link defensively, but if he has a game like he did against Illinois, it probably will not matter.

The winner of Sunday's contest will face off against the winner of Connecticut-George Washington on Monday.

Connecticut is one of only eight schools in the country to earn a national post-season tournament berth each of the last 14 years. With only one senior on the roster, the Huskies are led by sophomore Caron Butler, who as a freshman, led Connecticut in both scoring, 15.3 points per game, and rebounding, 7.6 per game. A first team Big East All-rookie team selection last season, he was among the top 15 players in eight different individual categories.

The Huskies have started the season 2-0, with an 84-71 win over Vanderbilt Nov. 19 and a 110-58 victory over New Hampshire Nov. 26.

So far, George Washington has been led by Chris Monroe, who was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Player of the Week.

The 6-3 guard scored a game-high 34 points on 7-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in the Colonials' 116-102 overtime victory over Yale last Saturday.

Wednesday, in George Washington's 79-76 victory over Boston University, Monroe sank two foul shots with 30 seconds remaining to extend the Colonials' lead, forcing the Terriers to try a three-pointer from 30 feet out that fell short.

Despite getting lit up by Western Kentucky - the team that upset the Kentucky Wildcats - 73-48 on Nov. 16, George Washington has also started the season strong.

George Washington and Connecticut face off at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The winners meet in the championship game on Monday at 8 p.m., preceeded by the third-place game at 5:30 p.m.